Newbie question on Dragonmarked [Archive] - Wizards Community

Newbie question on Dragonmarked [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
shadowninja05
11-06-07, 02:15 AM Hello! Ok, I've played some D&D before, but I have never ventured into Eberron before so please bear with me.

Alright, I was reading from the book Dragonmarked but I was confused about several things: I understand that dragonmarks are magical tattoos that manifest in certain individuals that somehow have ties to particular bloodlines. However, how does one player determine what type of dragonmark he/ she can manifest, the strength of the dragonmark, and the various powers such a dragonmark would provide?

Is there a specific chapter in the book Dragonmarked that covers my question? Or is there another Eberron book I need to read first? Any help at all would greatly be appreciated. Thanks! :D
TheGreatPook
11-06-07, 02:29 AM Dragonmarks are also explained in the Eberron Campaign Setting. I'd recommend looking there.
The kind of dragonmarks you have access to are decided by your race and the characters family. For example, a half elf belonging to house Lyrandar can manifest a Mark of Storm, but not a Mark of Making.
The dragonmarks are represented by several feats. Those feats are in the campaign setting.
shadowninja05
11-06-07, 02:35 AM Oh, so the Eberron Campaign Setting book would provide more in-depth info on dragonmarks? Is that book essentially the Eberron version of the PHB?
Just_some_Evil_Wizard
11-06-07, 02:54 AM Not really.

See the PHB as Windows and Campaign Settings as Applications running under Windows. The PHB gives you the rules, the Campaign Setting the... well... Setting / Background / World / "Fluff" (as it's often called on these boards). You need both to play D&D in Eberron. The Eberron Campaign Setting expands some aspects of the Player's Handbook (such as giving a new class, three new races, some new spells and weapons etc.), but it's focus is on the world, not on replacing the PHB.

Mechanically, Dragonmarks are bought as feats. Least / Lesser / Greater Dragonmark is similar to Power Attack / Cleave / Great Cleave - you need the smaller version to buy the greater one, and it's effects get stronger with each feat. Only expection is the Mark of Syberis, which is gained by choosing a special prestige class.
Gurv
11-06-07, 07:16 AM In order to play D&D, you need the Player's Handbook, a Dungeon Master's Guide, and a Monster Manual. They contain the rules for the game and explain what its all about. You can play with just those sourcebooks, with the DM creating the people, places, and events and the other players deciding what their character do.

Eberron is a campaign setting for the D&D game. The world is described in the Eberron Campaign Setting sourcebook. You'll need that more than anything if you want to run or play in an Eberron game. It will tell you everything you need to know about the races, classes, feats, dragonmarks, (etc) which are specific to the setting. The Dragonmarked sourcebook is a supplement for the Eberron Campaign setting, and doesn't actually explain the basics of the marks; it expands on what the ECS offers.
shadowninja05
11-06-07, 06:09 PM Thanks so much for the input. :D I'll be getting the Eberron Campaign Settings in a few days so hopefully most of my questions can be answered there.

One more question though...what or who is Siberys? I kind of understand that the name also refers to exceptionally powerful dragonmark types but what is it?
Revvecor
11-06-07, 06:19 PM Thanks so much for the input. :D I'll be getting the Eberron Campaign Settings in a few days so hopefully most of my questions can be answered there.

One more question though...what or who is Siberys? I kind of understand that the name also refers to exceptionally powerful dragonmark types but what is it?

The Eberron creation story has Godlike dragons engaged in battle to form the planet. Siberys is the heavens, Eberron is earth, Khyber is the underworld.
shadowninja05
11-06-07, 06:28 PM The Eberron creation story has Godlike dragons engaged in battle to form the planet. Siberys is the heavens, Eberron is earth, Khyber is the underworld.

So Siberys dragonmarks are powers granted by the heavens?? That is pretty awesome. Are there Khyber dragonmarks as well?
Revvecor
11-06-07, 06:37 PM So Siberys dragonmarks are powers granted by the heavens?? That is pretty awesome. Are there Khyber dragonmarks as well?

Sorry, you may have miss understood me. Siberys represents everything above eberron as in space/stars/the moons. Khyber does not have a dragonmark associated with it, although the aberrants all believed to be represent him.
Yakman
11-06-07, 07:40 PM So Siberys dragonmarks are powers granted by the heavens?? That is pretty awesome. Are there Khyber dragonmarks as well?
their are corresponding heirs of khyber, which are super-abberant marks. you can find them in one of the dragonshards.
Toloran
11-06-07, 09:13 PM So Siberys dragonmarks are powers granted by the heavens?? That is pretty awesome. Are there Khyber dragonmarks as well?

The creation Myth of the three progenetor dragons (Siberys, Eberron, and Khyber) is just that: A myth. It might be true, it might not be, it might even be close but not quite. No one knows for certain and there is no official fluff on the matter that states "Yes, this is what happened." (Unlike in other settings where the universe was very specifically created by gods or what not).
Arcane Guyver
11-07-07, 04:43 AM Some extra info (not really requested, but I felt like posting it anyways...)!

Siberys marks are extremely large, extremely powerful dragonmarks that manifest on folks who are decently powerful (about mid-levels), have the appropriate bloodline for a dragonmark, yet have shown no prior signs of manifesting one. They're very rare and 'treasured' by their respective House...

Mechanically, a character acquires a Siberys mark via a prestige class (unlike the other marks, which require expending at least one feat). Themeatically, Siberys marks manifest at a crucial moment, usually when a character is under extreme stress and wants something related to the latent mark's power.

All of the core mechanics regarding dragonmarks (Least, Lesser, Greater, Siberys, and the abberants) are found in the Eberron Campaign Setting.
RedRider
11-07-07, 01:04 PM Themeatically, Siberys marks manifest at a crucial moment, usually when a character is under extreme stress and wants something related to the latent mark's power.I'm not sure if it's in the book text, but I think that's how all mark powers manifest.

The Dragonmarked Houses put young heirs through the "Test of Siberys" which puts the heir under great stress and hopefully forces the power of the mark to surface.
(How do Ghallandra do this to make their heirs manifest Prestigitation?
"The clan cheif will be here in five minutes and there are streaks on the glassware!")

(Again, I'm not sure if the Test of Siberys exists outside Keith Baker's novels. Might have to check later.)
Arcane Guyver
11-07-07, 07:56 PM I'm not sure about that (I believe the test is at least mentioned in the book 'Dragonmarked,' I believe, but I lent that out to a friend yesterday). Thing is, I'm thinking most dragonmarks come into being as a result of those tests, while a Siberys mark usually occurs mid-battle (or something equally stressful), which is a great deal more dramatic IMO.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
shadowninja05 11-06-07, 02:15 AM	Hello! Ok, I've played some D&D before, but I have never ventured into Eberron before so please bear with me. Alright, I was reading from the book Dragonmarked but I was confused about several things: I understand that dragonmarks are magical tattoos that manifest in certain individuals that somehow have ties to particular bloodlines. However, how does one player determine what type of dragonmark he/ she can manifest, the strength of the dragonmark, and the various powers such a dragonmark would provide? Is there a specific chapter in the book Dragonmarked that covers my question? Or is there another Eberron book I need to read first? Any help at all would greatly be appreciated. Thanks! :D
TheGreatPook 11-06-07, 02:29 AM	Dragonmarks are also explained in the Eberron Campaign Setting. I'd recommend looking there. The kind of dragonmarks you have access to are decided by your race and the characters family. For example, a half elf belonging to house Lyrandar can manifest a Mark of Storm, but not a Mark of Making. The dragonmarks are represented by several feats. Those feats are in the campaign setting.
shadowninja05 11-06-07, 02:35 AM	Oh, so the Eberron Campaign Setting book would provide more in-depth info on dragonmarks? Is that book essentially the Eberron version of the PHB?
Just_some_Evil_Wizard 11-06-07, 02:54 AM	Not really. See the PHB as Windows and Campaign Settings as Applications running under Windows. The PHB gives you the rules, the Campaign Setting the... well... Setting / Background / World / "Fluff" (as it's often called on these boards). You need both to play D&D in Eberron. The Eberron Campaign Setting expands some aspects of the Player's Handbook (such as giving a new class, three new races, some new spells and weapons etc.), but it's focus is on the world, not on replacing the PHB. Mechanically, Dragonmarks are bought as feats. Least / Lesser / Greater Dragonmark is similar to Power Attack / Cleave / Great Cleave - you need the smaller version to buy the greater one, and it's effects get stronger with each feat. Only expection is the Mark of Syberis, which is gained by choosing a special prestige class.
Gurv 11-06-07, 07:16 AM	In order to play D&D, you need the Player's Handbook, a Dungeon Master's Guide, and a Monster Manual. They contain the rules for the game and explain what its all about. You can play with just those sourcebooks, with the DM creating the people, places, and events and the other players deciding what their character do. Eberron is a campaign setting for the D&D game. The world is described in the Eberron Campaign Setting sourcebook. You'll need that more than anything if you want to run or play in an Eberron game. It will tell you everything you need to know about the races, classes, feats, dragonmarks, (etc) which are specific to the setting. The Dragonmarked sourcebook is a supplement for the Eberron Campaign setting, and doesn't actually explain the basics of the marks; it expands on what the ECS offers.
shadowninja05 11-06-07, 06:09 PM	Thanks so much for the input. :D I'll be getting the Eberron Campaign Settings in a few days so hopefully most of my questions can be answered there. One more question though...what or who is Siberys? I kind of understand that the name also refers to exceptionally powerful dragonmark types but what is it?
Revvecor 11-06-07, 06:19 PM	Thanks so much for the input. :D I'll be getting the Eberron Campaign Settings in a few days so hopefully most of my questions can be answered there. One more question though...what or who is Siberys? I kind of understand that the name also refers to exceptionally powerful dragonmark types but what is it? The Eberron creation story has Godlike dragons engaged in battle to form the planet. Siberys is the heavens, Eberron is earth, Khyber is the underworld.
shadowninja05 11-06-07, 06:28 PM	The Eberron creation story has Godlike dragons engaged in battle to form the planet. Siberys is the heavens, Eberron is earth, Khyber is the underworld. So Siberys dragonmarks are powers granted by the heavens?? That is pretty awesome. Are there Khyber dragonmarks as well?
Revvecor 11-06-07, 06:37 PM	So Siberys dragonmarks are powers granted by the heavens?? That is pretty awesome. Are there Khyber dragonmarks as well? Sorry, you may have miss understood me. Siberys represents everything above eberron as in space/stars/the moons. Khyber does not have a dragonmark associated with it, although the aberrants all believed to be represent him.
Yakman 11-06-07, 07:40 PM	So Siberys dragonmarks are powers granted by the heavens?? That is pretty awesome. Are there Khyber dragonmarks as well? their are corresponding heirs of khyber, which are super-abberant marks. you can find them in one of the dragonshards.
Toloran 11-06-07, 09:13 PM	So Siberys dragonmarks are powers granted by the heavens?? That is pretty awesome. Are there Khyber dragonmarks as well? The creation Myth of the three progenetor dragons (Siberys, Eberron, and Khyber) is just that: A myth. It might be true, it might not be, it might even be close but not quite. No one knows for certain and there is no official fluff on the matter that states "Yes, this is what happened." (Unlike in other settings where the universe was very specifically created by gods or what not).
Arcane Guyver 11-07-07, 04:43 AM	Some extra info (not really requested, but I felt like posting it anyways...)! Siberys marks are extremely large, extremely powerful dragonmarks that manifest on folks who are decently powerful (about mid-levels), have the appropriate bloodline for a dragonmark, yet have shown no prior signs of manifesting one. They're very rare and 'treasured' by their respective House... Mechanically, a character acquires a Siberys mark via a prestige class (unlike the other marks, which require expending at least one feat). Themeatically, Siberys marks manifest at a crucial moment, usually when a character is under extreme stress and wants something related to the latent mark's power. All of the core mechanics regarding dragonmarks (Least, Lesser, Greater, Siberys, and the abberants) are found in the Eberron Campaign Setting.
RedRider 11-07-07, 01:04 PM	Themeatically, Siberys marks manifest at a crucial moment, usually when a character is under extreme stress and wants something related to the latent mark's power.I'm not sure if it's in the book text, but I think that's how all mark powers manifest. The Dragonmarked Houses put young heirs through the "Test of Siberys" which puts the heir under great stress and hopefully forces the power of the mark to surface. (How do Ghallandra do this to make their heirs manifest Prestigitation? "The clan cheif will be here in five minutes and there are streaks on the glassware!") (Again, I'm not sure if the Test of Siberys exists outside Keith Baker's novels. Might have to check later.)
Arcane Guyver 11-07-07, 07:56 PM	I'm not sure about that (I believe the test is at least mentioned in the book 'Dragonmarked,' I believe, but I lent that out to a friend yesterday). Thing is, I'm thinking most dragonmarks come into being as a result of those tests, while a Siberys mark usually occurs mid-battle (or something equally stressful), which is a great deal more dramatic IMO.